Gretel by Andrea Budy Analysis free essay sample

â€Å"A woman is born to this: sift, measure, mix, roll thin. † These starting words of the poem Gretel by Andrea Hollander Budy already show the imprisonment of women within a certain standard set by society. These words basically tell us that a woman has no choice on which path to take in her life because she is already born to something. This idea of women, along with prostitution, is what is being shown in the poem. Gretel, though modified, from the children’s tale Hansel and Gretel serves as the exemplary figure. This poem shows ideas about prostitution, and how women will always be caged in the standards set upon them no matter how hard they try to escape. The she in the poem refers to Gretel, but older than her character in the original story. Though it is not explicitly stated that it is Gretel, the poem’s title gave it away and the she does certain things that are relatable to what happened in the original Hansel and Gretel story such as the dropping of crumbs, the woman seizing the brother, and the mentioning of the oven. We will write a custom essay sample on Gretel by Andrea Budy Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The speaker, on the other hand, seems to be a third person close to Gretel who sees the events that happened in the poem. This speaker, though, is most probably a woman because it is as if she sympathizes with Gretel. She has enough knowledge of what Gretel is going through. Also, it seems as if the speaker knows Gretel well enough since the speaker has witnessed Gretel growing up (Gretel learning the dough until it folds into her skin, Gretel trying to lose it, Gretel beginning the long walk, etc. ). In the original Hansel and Gretel story, it was Hansel who was doing most of the work and decisions to make them both survive and find their way back to their father’s house. He was the one who dropped the trail of stone pebbles and crumbs; the one who was always comforting Gretel; and even when they found the witch’s house, he ordered Gretel which parts of the house she is going to eat. Being the older brother, he was the more responsible of the two siblings while Gretel was the submissive one. It was only in the latter part that Gretel started to take over. She was witty enough to outsmart the witch, save them both, look for a way to cross the river, and find their way back to their father’s home. This characteristic of Gretel from the original story is what motivated her to become what she is in Andrea Budy’s poem. With the same wit and capabilities, she tried to escape from living in a certain standard set upon her. The poem can also show ideas about prostitution. This is evident in the lines â€Å"she learns the dough until it folds into her skin†, â€Å"she empties her dark pockets, dropping enough crumbs to feed all the men who have ever touched her or wished†, and â€Å"remember something of his touch†. This can mean that the â€Å"crumbs† or â€Å"dough† talks about her flesh/body because in the line â€Å"she learns the dough until it folds into her skin and there is no difference†, it tells the reader that there is eventually no difference between the dough and her skin. But she also tries to lose the idea of being a prostitute, but without success, as evident in the line â€Å"Much later she tries to lose it. Makes bets with herself and wins enough without trying†. Her trying to lose herself as a prostitute is also figuratively portrayed when she was â€Å"emptying her dark pockets† and â€Å"dropping enough crumbs to feed all the men who have ever touched her or wished. In the last part of the poem, it was stated that she was almost transparent and thin when she reached the clearing, and that is why the old woman only seized the brother. This shows that Gretel already has no more use after she has escaped her dark past (and what was expected of her) as a prostitute. The old woman may figuratively refer to society itself (she did not seize/choose Gretel because she was not good enough). Again, this shows women being caged in a certain standard set upon them, and have no more value once they escape from this cage. The poem ends with Gretel not escaping the oven, eating the crumbs meant for him, and remembering something of his touch. The â€Å"his† in this part of the poem does not necessarily talk about Hansel. This may refer to all the guys who have touched her before. Gretel â€Å"won’t escape that oven† shows that Gretel chooses this path, which is probably death, rather than going back to her old life. This is probably a choice made by Gretel because the word used is â€Å"won’t†, which supports an action made by will (as oppose to â€Å"can’t†, which supports an action that is not motivated by a choice). Lastly, the line â€Å"she’ll eat the crumbs meant for him, remember something of his touch, reach for the sifter and the cup† probably talks about Gretel’s last thoughts inside the oven. She is kind of bringing with her the memories she had in the past as she is about to face her escape/death. Indeed, this poem generally talks about Gretel and her double as a prostitute; the imprisonment of women into a certain standard set by society; and Gretel’s rebellious act against this societal imprisonment.